Apparatus for cleaning ballast



Get. 16, 1928.

P. H. HAMILTON APPARATUS FOR CLEANING BALLAST 'Filed June 29, 1.925 5 Sheets-Sheet l Oct. 16, 1928.

P. H. HAMILTON APPARATUS FOR CLEANING BALLAST Filed June 29, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 16, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

PEBBY H. will, 01' BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR '10 MAINTENANCE EQUIPMENT GOIPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

APPARATUS FOR CLEANING BALLAST.

Application filed June 29, 1925. Serial No. 4Q.463.

This invention relates to a new apparatus for cleaning rock ballast. According to the process hereinafter disclosed, the ballast is removed from the roadbed, cleaned, and returned to the roadbed in one continuous operation. 1

After some months of service, and exposure to the elements, the rock ballast used to support and hold in place the ties which carry the tracks, becomes fouled and loses its efliciency. This is caused by the dirt and other refuse which blows in from the surrounding territory, and by cinders and other deposits from passing trains. The result is bad drainage from the roadbed, and the ballast loses its resiliency. Instead of giving under pressure and springing back after the passing of the train. the ballast becomes packed down, dead and soggy, and open pockets are formed under some of the ties. In dry weather, the dirt will blow out from the ballast causing annoyance and possible injury to passengers on the trains.

For these reasons, it is desirable, and often necessary, to remove the ballast from between the ties, and from the space between adjacent tracks, and beyond the ends of the ties, and replace same with new ballast, or, which is more economical, clean the old ballast and use it again.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a new method and apparatus for cleaning those portions of the roadbed lying between adjacent tracks. and at the outer sides of the tracks. Other forms of apparatus are used to remove the material lying between adjacent ties.

An object of the invention is to produce a new apparatus which will dig up the ballast, clean the ballast, remove and collect the cleanings, and return the cleaned ballast to the roadbed, all in one continuous operation.

Another object is to provide such an apparatus which is self-contained, and self-transporting, and is sufliciently compact to operate in the space between adjacent tracks without necessitating its removal, or the cessation of operations, to allow trains to pass by on the adjacent trackways.

Another object is to provide an apparatus of this type adapted to be supported in and operate in, the excavation from which the ballast has been temporarily removed. The ballast removed from in front of the machine is replaced behind the machine, after being cleaned.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of one approved form of apparatus involving the principles of this invention.

In the accompanying drawings:

F 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus.

F1g. 2 is a transverse vertical section through a roadbed, comprising a pair of adjacent trackways, showing the cleaning apparatus in operation in the space between the two tracks.

Fig. 3 is a plan view on an enlarged scale, of the forward portion of the apparatus.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical section, partly broken away, taken substantially on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a detailed plan view, partly in section, of one of the digging units.

The apparatus (which is here shown rather diagrammatically, since it is capable of considerable variation in structural detail), comprises the following main parts: A main truck or carriage A, preferably of the creeping tractor type, a secondary body or supporting frame B tiltingly mounted upon the main carriage A, a digging mechanism C, at the front end of body B, a cleaning mechanism D mounted in body B, and a driving unit E mounted at the rear end of the body B of the carriage A. j

The carriage A comprises a frame or chassis 1, carried at either side by a tractor device, preferably of the well known endless-chain type 2, driven by a gear train 3 through intermediate shaft 4, and universal joints 5 and 6 from the driving mechanism E. The details of this driving unit E are not shown, but it will preferably consist of an internal combustion engine and the usual change speed and reversing gear connections whereby the tractors 2 may be driven either simultaneously or individually, in the same or opposite directions, and at various speeds. In operation, the forward movement of the tractors 2 will be very slow, but it is desirable that a higher speed drive be provided for moving the apparatus from place to place when not in operation.

The main body portion B is tiltingly mounted on the carriage A, preferably by means pivoted about the forward axis 7 of the tractors 2. Mechanism is provided to raise or lower the rear portion of body B with relation to the correspondin end of carria e A, in order to raise or lower t e diggingmec anism at the front end of the a paratus, thereby varying the angle of inc ination of the diggers with relation to the ballast upon which the are operating. As here shown, a vertical a justing screw 8 is pivotally mounted at its lower end 9 in carriage A and engages at an intermediate point with a nut 10 swmgingly mounted at 11 on a rearward extension 12 of body B. By manipulating the hand wheel 13 at the upper end of screw 8, the nut 11 and consequently the rear end of body B may be elevated or lowered along the screw 8, thus swinging body B about the axis 7 and varying its angle of inclination with respect to the supporting plane upon which the carriage rests.

The digging mechanism C comprises a pair of similar but oppositely disposed units, mounted at the two front corners of thebody B. Each unit comprises a vertical cutting disc 14, and a horizontal cutting disc 15,

. which in operation are rotated continuously at rather high speeds in the directions indicated by the arrows in the drawings. Vertical disc 14 is carried b a shaft 16 mounted in a bracket 17 of the body B, and is positioned at an angle tothe center line of the apparatus with its forward cutting edge 18 proe'cting somewhat beyond the outer side line of the carriage assembly. Horizontal cutting disc is mounted on vertical shaft 19 so that its cutting edge will operate in substantially the plane upon which the carriage Y A is supported, although these discs 15 can be tilted down to operate below the support for carriage A for reasons hereinafter specified. As here shown, the vertical shaft'19 for rotating the disc 15 is driven through worm gearin 20 from a substantially horizontal drive s aft 21 which extends back to the driving unit E. The vertical cutting disc 14is rotated from the shaft 19 through the chain of gearing comprising bevel gear 22 on shaft 19, meshing with bevel gear 23 on an intermediate horizontal shaft 24, connected through bevel ears 25 and 26 with a vertical shaft 27, whicfi drives the shaft 16 carrying the cutter 14 through the worm gearing 28. The driving and supporting mechanism for the discs 14 and 15 is enclosed by a casing 29 from beneath which the horizontal disc 15 projects, and through which only the forward cutting edge of vertical disc 14 projects, as shown more clearly in Figs. 1, 3 and 4 of the drawings. The forward inwardly inclined vertical wall. 30 of this casing 29 serves to guide the ballast dug up by discs or cutters 14 and 15,'back onto the conveying mechanism hereinafter described. The vertical discs 14, the outer cutting edges of which rotate upwardly as indicated, serve principally to cut a path for the apparatus, and loosen up the ballast, and prevent clogging against the lower cutting disc 15. The inwardly r0- tating discs 15 function to cut awa the ballast along the lower horizontal P am, and carry this ballast inwardly along the walls or deflectors 30 onto the conveyor of the cleaning mechanism.

Cleaning mechanism D-comprises a screen 31 which is fixed in an inclined position in the body B with its forward lower end extending down towards the plane of the discs 15, and its rear end extending upwardly towards the rear of the carriage. This screen 31 is of such a mesh that dirt and other loose material will fall therethrough, but the fragments of rock ballast of such size as to be capable of being reused, cannot pass therethrough. Mounted above this screen is a ballast conveying mechanism comprisin a plurality of endless chain loops 32 each em dying a plurality of cleats or carriers 33, which are adapted to engage the ballast material and drag same upwardly over the screen 31. The chain loops 32 are carried at their ends by a plurality of sprockets 34 and 35, mounted respectively on cross shafts 36 and 37. Preferably the shaft 36 is mounted in fixed bearings in the body B, while shaft 37 is mounted in a frame 38 pivoted at its upper end about the axis of shaft 36. Compression springs 39 mounted between fixed abutments 40 and the lower front end of frame 38 tend to force this frame and the conveyors carried thereby yieldingly toward the screen 31.. This movement towards the screen is limited by pins 41, slidable freely through apertures in the abutment 40, and having enlarged heads 42 at their upper ends. These pins 41 may be conveniently enclosed within the springs 39, thus serving as guides for the springs. The conveyors are driven from either one or both of the drive shafts 21, by means of a worm 43 secured on the shaft 21 and meshing with a worm gear 44 keyed to shaft 36. The direction of travel of the conveyors, as indicated by the arrows in Fi '4, is such that the lower run of the loops wi 1 move upwardly from front to rear of the apparatus, so, that the cleats 33 will engage the rock materials thrown in between deflectors 30 by the discs 15, and drag this material upwardly over the screen 31. The dirt and other loose material will fall throu h the screen 31, whereas the larger useful roc fragments will be carried upwardly over the screen, and discharged over an o positely inclined apron 45 into the roadbe at the rear of the carriage.

i A second conveyor 46, which may be in the form of an endless belt, provided if desired with cross cleats or other carrying devices, is mounted beneath the screen 31 and travels in such a direction that its upper run will carry the cleanings which drop through the screen 31 upwardly toward the rear of the machine and deposit them upon a second transversely moving conveyor 47. The conveyor 46 is carried at its looped ends by a pair of rollers 48 and 49, and is driven in the proper direction by a train of gears 50 connecting the shaft 36 with the roller 48. The transverse belt conveyor 47 is driven from the roller 48 through atrain of gears indicated at 51. The cleanings can be dumped from the conve or 47 at one side of the apparatus, or pre erably are collected in a bag or other receptacle indicated at 52, and then removed and transported to a distance for disposal. It is to be understood that the greater portion of the mechanism hereinabove described, is shown rather diagrammatically,

and that a large range of equivalents is available for performing the functions indicated.

In Fig. 2, the apparatus is indicated in operation in the space between two adjacent lines of railway track 53 and 54. It will be noted that the overall-height of the a paratus is such that passing trains, one of w ich is indicated in dotted lines at 55, can pass thereover without encountering any portion of the cleaning apparatus. This machine is also adapted to remove and clean the ballast from the spaces 56 at the outer ends of the ties. In commencing operations, the nose or front end of the body B carrying the digging mechanism C will be tilted down below the plane upon which the carriage A rests, by manipulation of the screw 8, so that the device will dig its way down to the-desired level. By subsequently manipulating the hand wheel 13 of screw 8, the body B will be straightened out so that the device will operate along this lower plane, as indicated in Fig. 2. The driving mechanism E will be so adjusted that the carriage will move forward very slowly and the ballast will be dug up from in front of the apparatus, cleaned as it is conveyed over and through the apparatus, and then discharged again on- 1 to the roadbed behind the carriage A. It

will be noted that the operation is continuous as the carriage moves along its path, the ballast which is removed from in front of the machine being replaced behind the machine. The cleanings are collected and removed for disposal, as described hercinabove, or if the machine is operating at one side of the trackway this material might be discharged directly onto the ground beyond the ballasted area. Since the two tractors 2 are independently operable in either direction, it is possible to oscillate the machine, or edge it forward one side at a time, in order to assist in breaking into material which is unusually difiicult to cut loose. Since the upper conveyor mechanism 32 is held down by spring tension only, it can yield upwardly at its lower forward end to permit unusually large or heavy aggregations of ballast material to be drawn thereunder and carried up along the screen 31.

This material will be ordinarily so broken up or separated by the time it reaches the upper end of the screen that it will pass easily beneath the relatively fixed upper end of the conveyor 32. Obviously, both ends of the conveyor could be yieldingly mounted if this were found to be desirable.

It will be noted that this improved ballast cleaning a paratus is supported and transported entirely independently of the rails or ties of the railway track, and digs its own path or supporting base. The machine is supported in, and operates in the excavation from which the ballast has been removed, so that the top of the machine is brought down as low as possible and there is nothing to interfere with the passing of trains on the adj acent tracks. Furthermore, this supporting of the device on a level with the excavating operations tends'to eliminate the upward thrust of the diggers, which forms an objectionable feature of prior devices which are supported from above the excavations. Thus there is substantially no tendency to lift the apparatus out of the excavation, when the diggers are in operation, which has been found to be a practical disadvantage of ballast excavating machines supported from the tracks or ties.

I claim:

1. A portable ballast cleaning apparatus comprising a carriage, a body pivotally mounted on the carriage, rotating cutters carried at the front end of the body for digging substantially horizontally into the ballast, means for cleaning the ballast and returning the cleaned ballast to the roadbed also carried on the body, and means for tilting the body with relation to the supporting carriage to vary the angle of engagement of the digging means with the roadbed.

2. A ortable ballast cleaning apparatus comprising a carriage, a body pivotally mounted on the carriage, means for digging ballast carried at the front end of the body, means for cleaning the ballast and returning the cleaned ballast to the roadbed also carried on the body, driving means for the digging and cleaning mechanism also carried on the body, means for tilting the body with relation to the supporting carriage to vary the angle of engagement of the digging means with the roadbed, and connections between the driving means and the carriage for advancing the ap' paratus while the digging and cleaning operations are being performed.

3. In a portable ballast cleaning apparatus. a supporting carriage comprising a pair of endless-chain tractor devices, a body or supporting frame pivotally mounted on the carriage, means for adjusting the angular position of the body on the carriage, means for digging, cleaning and discharging ballast mounted in relatively fixed relation on the body, a driving means carried by the body for ing mechanism, and flexible driving connections between the driving means and the tractor devices whereby the carriage may be operated in any angular position of adjustment of the body.

5. An a paratus for removing, cleaning and replacing rock-ballast, comprising a carriage, means for. moving the carriage forwardly, means rotating in a horizontal plane at the front of the carriage for digging into the ballast, means for adjusting the verticalv position of this digging means, a screen on the carriage, a conveyor for carrying the ballast over the screen and dischargingsame at the rear of the carriage onto the roadbed, and a conveyorbeneath the screen for collecting the screenings removed from the ballast.

6. A ballast cleaning apparatus, comprising a carriage adapted to move along the roadbed, means on the carriage for cleaning the ballast, cutters rotating in a horizontal plane at the front of the carriage for digging horizontally into the ballast, and a conveyor for transporting the ballast from the cutters through the cleaning means and discharging same back into the roadbed.

7. A ballast cleaning apparatus, compris ing a carriage adapted to move along the roadbed, means on the carriage for cleaning the ballast, cutters rotating in a horizontal plane at the front of the carriage for digging into the ballast, a conveyor for transporting the ballast from the cutters to the cleaning means and discharging same back into the roadbed, and means for collecting the material removed from the ballast by the cleaner.

8. A portable ballast cleaning apparatus, comprising a carriage, an upwardly inclined screen on the carriage, and means mounted on the carriage for digging up ballast and delivering it to the cleaning means comprising a pair of rotating horizontally positioned disc cutters, and a pair of rotating vertically positioned disc cutters mounted above and at' the outer sides of the horizontal discs and a conveyor .for dragging the ballast from the cutters up over the screen.

9. A portable ballast cleaning apparatus, comprising a carriage. cleaning means on the carriage, a conveyor for carrying the ballast through the cleaning means, deflectors on the carriage for guiding the ballast to the conveyor, and a plurality of rotating disc cutters for digging loose the ballast and urging it along the deflectors onto the conveyor.

- 10. Aportable ballast cleaning apparatus, comprising a carriage, cleaning means on the carriage, a conveyor for carrying the ballast through the cleaning means, deflectors on the carriage for guiding the ballast to the conveyor, a pair of rotating disc cuttersmounted below and between the deflectors for loosening the ballast and throwing .same between the deflectors onto the conveyor, and a. vertical rotating disc cutter mounted at each front corner of the carriage for cutting a path into the ballast material to be cleaned.

11. A portable ballast cleaning apparatus comprising a carriage, power means mounted on the carriage, tractor devices for supporting and moving the carriage, driving connections between the power means and the tractors, digging mechanism comprising a plurality of discs rotating in a horizontal plane and adapted to cut into the ballast along that plane, driving connections between the power means and the discs, a screen mounted in the carriage, a conveyor for dragging ballast over the screen, a conveyor for collecting the cleanings which pass through the screen, and driving connections between the power means and the conveyors.

12. A portable ballast cleaning apparatus comprising a carriage, power means mounted on the carriage,tractor devices for supporting and moving the carriage, driving connections between the power means and the tractors, digging mechanism comprising a I plurality of discs rotating in a horizontal plane and adapted to cut into the ballast along that plane, driving connections be tween the power means and the discs, means for adjusting the discs vertically, a screen mounted in the carriage, a conveyor for dragging the ballast delivered from the digging mechanism over the screen, a conveyor below the screen for collecting the material which passes through the screen, and driving 7 connections between the power means and the conveyors.

13. A portable ballast cleaning apparatus comprising a carriage, a screen carried thereby, cutters rotating in a horizontal plane for digging horizontally into the ballast and an endless conveyor having one run positioned above the screen for dragging the ballast over the screen and discharging it from the apparatus beyond the screen.

14. A portable ballast cleaning apparatus comprising a supporting carriage, a plurality of cutters, rotating in a horizontal plane for digging into the ballast, an upwardly inclined screen having its lower end extending into proximity to the cutters, an endless conveyor having one run positioned above the screen and substantially parallel thereto for receiving the ballast from the cutters and dragging llt it up the inclined screen and discharging the cleaned ballast from the upper end of the screen.

15. A portable ballast cleaning apparatus comprising a supporting carriage, a plurality of cutters rotating in a horizontal plane for digging into the ballast, an upwardly inclined screen having its lower end extending into proximity to the cutters, an endless conveyor having one run positioned above the screen and substantially parallel thereto for receiving the ballast from the cutters and dragging it up the inclined screen and discharging the cleaned ballast from the upper end of the screen, and means beneath the screen for collecting the material screened from the ballast.

16. A portable ballast cleaning apparatus comprising a supporting carriage, a plurality of rotary cutters for digging the ballast, an upwardly inclined screen havin its lower end extending into proximity to the cutters, deflecting means for guiding the material from the cutters onto the screen, an endless conveyor operating between the deflectors and above the screen for dragging the ballast up the screen and discharging the cleaned ballast from the upper end of the screen.

17. A ballast cleaning apparatus comprising a carriage, means at the front of the carriage for digging ballast, means on the carriage for cleaning the ballast and returning it to the roadbed behind the carriage, and means for movably supporting the carriage in the excavation from which the ballast has been temporarily removed.

18. ballast cleaning apparatus comprising a carriage, means for supporting and transporting the carriage digging mechanism at the front of the carriage for removing ballast to cut a path for the carriage and its supporting means, and means on the carriage for cleaning the excavated ballast and returning it to the roadbed behind the carriage.

19. A ballast cleaning apparatus comprising a carriage, means for supporting and transporting the carriage, digging mechanism at the front of the carriage for cutting away the ballast to form a substantially fiatbottomed excavation in which the carriage supporting means may travel, and means onv ed to remove the ballast material to form a substantially fiat-bottomed excavation in which the carriage supporting means travels, and means on the carriage for cleaning the ballast material and returning the cleaned ballast to the excavation behind the carriage.

21. A ballast cleaning apparatus comprising a carriage adapted to move along the roadbed, means on the carriage for cleaning the ballast, cutters movably mounted at the front of the carriage, means for operating the cutters for digging horizontally beneath the ballast to detach same from the roadbed, and conveying means cooperating with the cutters to carry the ballast to the cleaning means. 22. A ballast cleaning apparatus comprisroadbed, means on the carriage for cleaning the ballast, cutters movably mounted at the front of the carriage, means for operating the cutters for digging beneath the ballast to detach same from the roadbed, and means for conveying the ballast upwardly and rearwardly to the cleaning means.

23. A ballast cleaning apparatus comprising a carriage adapted to move along the roadbed, means on the carriage for cleaning the ballast, rotating cutters at the front of the carriage for digging horizontally beneath the ballast to detach same from the roadbed, and conveying means cooperating with the cutters to carry the ballast to the cleaning means.

24. A ballast cleaning 'apparatus eomprising a carriage adapted to move along the roadbed, means on the carriage for cleaning the ballast, rotating cutters at the front of the carriage for digging beneath the ballast to detachsame from the roadbed, and means for conveying the ballast upwardly and rearwardly from the cutters to the cleaning means.

PERRY H. HAMILTON.

mg a carriage adapted to move along the 

